 "Photo:")
When people attend their church proceedings on Sunday, they most likely don't think they are participating in cult worship. They bend their knee in veneration and worship to God, Allah, Jehovah, Elohim or other gods. That, at least according to the dictionary, is the exact definition of a cult.
That said, with most Americans being members of one "cult" or another, why is there anger, hatred, fear and blind prejudice against the more unorthodox ones? Why is the term "cult" used in such a derogatory way toward those faiths that "mainstream" religion has a problem with? If I remember correctly, the teachings Christ, Buddha, and even those of Muhammad are of tolerance and love.
As has been seen in recent news about the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, prejudice and hatred have been the main responses to these secretive and quiet people. They have been met with anger about their religion in general, their practice of polygamy and their secretive ways.
They have been blasted multiple times by many media outlets, being called a "cult" and "dangerous" for years. Finally, recent events have brought this situation to a head.
The growing scandal about the FLDS church hits close to home in Eldorado, where the group had set up its new headquarters at its Yearning for Zion Ranch. It was a problem for many citizens of Eldorado, however, as most feared the group as "another Waco."
With all this suspicion and prejudice brewing, officials had been waiting for an excuse to raid the ranch. They even reported having "a plan on the shelf to enter the compound" - obvious evidence of the state's mal-intent for the group.
So in early April, more than 400 children were taken forcibly from their homes after an unidentified female claiming to be from the ranch called and complained to authorities that she had been beaten and raped by her husband and impregnated at the age of 15.
How does that make sense?
It's the same concept of a person calling and reporting to be from my gated apartment community and claiming to have been beaten by her husband. Then the cops come to the apartments and take every child from the entire complex.
This situation is screaming for a multi-million-dollar lawsuit from each family.
Not to mention that this is fueling an unhealthy prejudice against most of the Latter Day Saint faiths, not just those of the FLDS variety. They have as much right to practice their faith as anyone else does.
When was the last time you heard about a raid on the Amish? There have been several accounts of abuse and rape in their closed communities, and no raids have come to light. Those people, who are viewed as more of a tourist attraction than a threat, have just as many secrets as the members of the FLDS church do and surprisingly, they are left alone. The FLDS church is not the only secretive group that has its problems.
On that same note, what about polygamy scares people so much? Women everywhere have children from multiple partners; if it is OK to procreate with more than one person, why not keep those relationships intact at the same time?
Wouldn't it stand to reason it's better for everyone involved, as a whole, for the father to have contact and good family relationships with all his kids and their mothers?
What this really boils down to is hate. People hate these American citizens for practicing their religion. People at Eldorado passed around hats with "ELDORADO: POLYGAMY CAPITAL OF TEXAS" on them.
One person paraded around the entrance to the ranch in a grim reaper costume, and a song called "The Plural Girl Blues" has been written about the members in Eldorado.
These things don't just sound like hate to me, but hate crimes.
The point is not that the people are innocent or guilty, but that they deserve the same rights and fair treatment as every other citizen of the United States. This is being done to these people because of their religion, and almost everyone else is cheering at their demise.
It sounds familiar, and it raises frightening questions. How long until the next Inquisition? The next witch hunts? The next Holocaust? That same kind of religious intolerance fueled those horrific events. How long will it be before history repeats itself?
Kyle Martin is a Ranger beat reporter. He can be reached at kemartin21@my.actx.edu or on his blog at www.crazysoutherner.blogspot.com.
Be the first to comment on this article!